Chapter 165
Jules had dropped out of college to get married and follow her then–husband to the west coast, where she’d spent the ensuing decade trying to be the perfect housewife. So, she had no degree and no work experience, which had made finding work post–divorce impossible. When she was being honest with herself, she knew, despite her discontent, that she was incredibly lucky that she had a family member who owned a business and needed help. When she had been trying to find work in Seattle right after the divorce, there wasn’t a single hiring manager out there who wanted her unemployed ass – at least, not for the cost of a living wage.
So here she was, back in rural northern Wisconsin, her tiny hometown of Saint Roch, living with her grandmother, working the same job she’d had in high school, with nothing to show for the last twelve years of her life except for her age.
“I’m just taking a breather while I figure things out, “Jules said, putting the most positive possible spin on I have no fucking clue what to do with myself and had nowhere else to go. “And my grandma’s getting older, so I’ve been helping her manage things here p>
“Aw, that’s so sweet,“Alicia cooed brightly. “ How long are you staying? ”
Jules shrugged. It was hard to see past the dark cloud of her marriage, but even aside from that, she hadn’t really liked living in a big city like Seattle. And while she wasn’t thrilled to be in her current situation, a part of her had desperately missed the quiet beauty of the forests and lakes where she’d grown up.
“Not sure,“she answered, as if unbothered by the uncertainty of her future. “I’m just playing it by ear p>
Alicia gave her another sympathetic look.
“Mama,“the toddler said, wriggling impatiently. “I want juice p>
Alicia smiled indulgently. “Hold your horses, Miss Rudie–Pants. How do you ask? ”
“Pleeeeeease p>
“Alright.“She set the girl down on the floor. “Go get one juice. And get Mama’s iced coffee, okay p>
“ Okay, Mama. ”
Jules frowned as she watched the little girl amble off–a kid that young was a walking hazard. To have her pulling bottled drinks out of the cases, possibly from above her head, was asking for an accident. She glanced at Alicia, uncertain if she should say something, but Alicia’s interrogation was not about to be derailed.
“So, you were married. Any kids? ”
Jules’s heart clenched. “Ah, no. No. That didn’t happen for us p>
In hindsight, she was wildly relieved. If she’d had kids with Eric, she might never have gotten away. But during her marriage, it had felt like a moral failing on her part, even though fertility doctors had determined that the problem was on Eric’s end. It wasn’t like he’d had no viable sperm. So the fact that Jules’s apparently fully functional set up couldn’t make it work with his few useful swimmers had seemed like her problem. Eric had certainly seen it that way. He’d constantly questioned her about whether she was secretly using birth control, if she was eating the fertility boosting foods she was supposed to, if she was drinking the fertility tea, if she was tracking her period correctly
It wasn’t until after the marriage ended, and Jules realized how utterly miserable she’d been, that she wondered if maybe her body had somehow been protecting her–refusing to carry the child of a man who would only make them all miserable. It didn’t work that way, obviously, but it was a thought that gave her small comfort. Even during the worst of it, when she blamed herself the most, when she’d twisted herself into knots trying and failing to be who he wanted, when she’d become a shadow of herself in service to her husband’s happiness–at least a small part of her had known it
was wrong.
“Oh, I’m sorry, ” Alicia said with too much sympathy. “That’s too bad. I can’t imagine life without my kids.“Her hand went to her stomach again.
Before Jules could think of a response to that, the door jangled and in stepped another unwelcome blast from the past. Jake Schuh. In high school, he’d been a tall, blond, muscular Adonis. He was still tall and blond, but he wasn’t a high school athlete anymore, and it showed. Even so, he was still
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Caught Naked By My Alpha Neighbor! Now I’m His– No Escape.
Chapter 165
ridiculously handsome, with a square jaw and broad shoulders and a thick head of wheat–blond hair. Jules felt her cheeks heating purely from the memory of the intensity of her old crush.
“Oh, hey! Jules, uh… Wolfe, right p>
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.